Writing Prompt.....

In an effort to get my children to work on their creative writing.....somehow the "talent" didn't get passed along with my DNA....I have started giving them creative writing prompts. I also got them Disney journals that they can use to record their memories of the cruise along with future Disney trips and adventures. Today is the first day they have been given their journals to write in. The excitement level, to put it mildly, is underwhelming! I don't get it! I loved writing in my journal as a kid. I loved creative writing assignments. Little work and an easy A. Sigh.....guess Math and Science has won out again with the younger generation.

So, they have their prompt for today and I told them I would write to the prompt also, since I am such a mean mom and force them into such awful non-school assignments. Our Prompt is: What I expect my Disney Cruise will be like.

What I expect my Disney Cruise to be like? Hello! I want the Disney Commercial! Who doesn't? I want a constant stream of perfect moment background music. Perfect family happiness, togetherness and unity! Hugs, laughter and no arguments. Yeah right! Those darn Disney Marketing folks. I swear they send them to Evil Genius and How to Catch a Dumb Sea Bass school before they are allowed to start winding their perfect Magical Marketing Schemes. They are good I tell ya! Too Good! Yes, I am a Dumb Sea Bass that has been caught. I'm OK with that. Reel me in further!

 To be quite honest, I have researched, read, watched, blogged, talked and planned so much for this cruise, I have about 100 scenarios going through my head on what exactly I think it will be like. To narrow it down to one fluid trip and scenario is kind of difficult. I am preparing to expect anything and trying to prepare for when (("GASP!")) the plans don't work out as planned. I am trying to fly by the seat of my pants, go with the flow of the ocean, just enjoy and have fun with my family. I know, simple enough, yet unheard of for me. What I expect my Disney Cruise to be like....well, let's just go with the flow....

I know we will be leaving on a Thursday right after Thing 1 and Thing 2 get home from school. We will have the car all packed and ready to go. We will drive for about 5 hours and end up at the Holiday Inn that we also stop at going to Disney World. We will probably get there around 8pm so we will grab dinner and then settle in to sleep. If we can. Then we will get up the next morning bouncing so much that even Tigger would tell us to calm down. Head downstairs for the free breakfast that the kids love, pack up the over-night bag and drive the next 5 hours down to Port Canaveral. We will check into our port hotel, which is just a stone's throw away from the port. We will enjoy the pool for awhile and then do the pilgrimage to Fishlips. Fishlips is the bar and grill located right at Port Canaveral. We will be able to enjoy watching the sail aways for that day and find out where exactly that Port Canaveral webcam is located at Fishlips. We will head back to the hotel and once again try to get sleep. HA! We will get up on that fateful Saturday morning that FINALLY arrived, put on our family cruise t-shirts that I told them all we MUST wear (yeah they just LOVE them), choke down breakfast, load the overnight bag into the car and head over to see the Fantasy, LIVE and in person, for our first time ever!!!!! We have an early check-in time, but we will probably stand outside in the parking lot gawking and taking pictures before I rush everyone into the terminal and begin to have a full on emotional breakdown. I am sure the gauntlet of emotions will range from absolute joy to stress and panic attack. I will be running around making sure we have all the paperwork to get checked in, then checking that we are checked in, Thing 1 and Thing 2 are checked in to the kids club, reminding the Hubby (for the 500th time) that he knows to go to Guest Services as soon as we board to secure a wait list position for a cabana at Castaway Cay (haha! I know!). I will be planning the mad dash up to the D-Lounge to try and secure that much coveted Remy reservation for we "foodies". We have been trying to get into Remy for 90 days to no avail.

Then I can hear our group being called to board! EEK!! Jumping up and down, grinning beyond ear to mouse ear and someone may even pee their pants....yeah, it will be me! I am sure the Things will be excited too. Hubby will probably smile and "Moo" during the boarding round-up of the heard. Then we will walk over the "plank" and there we will be, standing in the doorway of the Fantasy. Looking in awe over the beautiful atrium. I am sure at this point I will break down into tears. We will be greeted by the first of many CM's that will be on the Fantasy with us. We will get announced onto the Fantasy and board!!!! (hey should we be announced as the Funny Farm Family?)  Once in the middle of the atrium, I am sure I will fling all carry-on bags down (but not too hard, the wine will be in there!) and grab the Things hands and start jumping, dancing and skipping in a circle! It will look like the Things are enjoying this display of joy with their mother, but they will just be trying to break free! When they finally do, they will run and hide behind Hubby who will be trying to protect his young. What? Don't judge! I'm on a Disney Cruise, Peter Pan syndrome is fully expected, if not encouraged! I don't have to grow up! Besides no Things will be harmed (physically) in the making of this Magical Moment.

After the initial humiliation has been cast upon my poor family by yours truly, it will be all back to business! D-lounge and Guest Services people! Move it! Move it! Move it! Once that little bit is done, this is where I start to go with the flow, and the idea of what we do from there becomes a bit sketchy. We will either go up on deck and grab something to eat and check out the view or go roam and explore. We might even throw all caution to the wind and hit the pool or the Aqua Duck! There will, of course, be the grand event of the Sail-away party and then that Magical Moment of the sail-away itself. I have cruised several times (never with Disney, sadly). To me, the sail-away is the pinnacle of any cruise. You are finally underway. You have your whole cruise ahead of you. The fun has just started. All possibilities await you! It's the moment I have been dreaming of for months! Standing out there on deck, feeling your first breezes from the moving ship......uggh! Amazing! I can already see us standing up on deck 12, waiting to get to Fishlips to smile and wave to all of our family and friends watching at home on the webcam......I have a few "special" ideas to make us stand out a bit more and make their watching oh so worth it! (insert evil snicker...yeah Hubby isn't going to like this part either, poor guy). Then slowing sailing out through the rest of Port Canaveral. I have watched for months as ships sail into or out of port. This time, it will finally be us! Past the jetty's and then finally into the open ocean! 7 days of anything await us! I see dinners together in the restaurants, the Things playing in the Club and the Lab, Hubby and I getting pool and relaxing time in, exploring and enjoying island adventures, Pirate party and fireworks......then the inevitable end of our cruise. Our family usually does really well with happiness and togetherness on any family vacation. Hopefully this one will not be any different. (Of course we are the next generation of Funny Farm Family, so I am sure there will be LOTS of new material to write about!) Overall, I usually chill out (a little) on my strict parenting style. Hubby and I actually have real conversations about solving the worlds problems and just life in general instead of kids, job and schedules. The Things actually become best friends again without the influence of other friends, school and schedules. There is NOTHING I enjoy more than seeing the Things enjoying each other, laughing with each other and sharing secrets with each other. I see us all enjoying family times together, but for the first time on any vacation, I also see us chatting over dinner with the Things to find out the fun stuff they have done throughout their day, without us. A little odd, but hey if the Things decide they don't like the kids clubs, no problem, hello AquaDuck! I know this all seems like too pretty of a picture. I know that the Things will still have moments where they are going to argue, or fall and scrape a knee and I am sure the usual Funny Farm Family not so magical moments are bound to creep in. Some things just aren't going to be perfect, but hey you never know what will happen when you head out for adventure on the high seas!

In conclusion to my writing prompt "homework", I don't really know what the cruise will bring. So what do I expect my Disney Cruise to be like? I expect to enjoy the time with my family, no matter what happens. As long as we stick to that, I expect it will be one of the best adventures we have ever had.

...........oh, and I expect to embarrass my family no less than 10 times by running up to Mickey (get outta the way kid!) and dancing and singing my "Me and My Mouse are on a boat" song.......I expect Hubby and the Things will high-tail it to the other side of the ship faster than Jasmine at a Snotty Castle Breakfast!